


Sprouts of Bliss

by vogue91



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Crack Pairing, F/M, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 14:23:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13033029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vogue91/pseuds/vogue91
Summary: For just a moment, she had deluded herself thinking that Fred was there because he actually wanted to spend his time with her. She had never felt so lonely as of lately, and the more time passed the more she realized the only thing she had to offer was help with homework.





	Sprouts of Bliss

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Fred/Hermione, Alone, Clearing, Fall  
> Let’s just pretend Fred didn't leave Hogwarts during OOTP. Which is very sad. And let’s just pretend the timeline for Ron and Lavender being together is being disregarded, as for Harry and Ginny. And that Fred has somehow stolen an O.W.L. in Potions. Okay, let’s pretend the entire book didn’t exist, because I had this pairing, those prompts and this idea, so I don’t really know what I wrote in the end.

Hermione was sitting at a table at the Three Broomsticks. She sipped a Butterbeer, assorted. She was alone, staring at the other kids in the pub.

Harry was staring at Ginny, a few tables far from his, like she was the only girl on the face of the earth.

And Ron, with his usual composure, was glued to Lavender, so that it was unclear where one began and the other ended.

The witch sighed. She knew she should’ve refuse to come to Hogsmeade that day. It was completely pointless being there, with the sole company of an Ancient Runes book.

When Fred Weasley went sitting in front of her, with a feline movement, the Butterbeer went down the wrong way. She started coughing, the boy staring amused at her.

“Good morning, Hermione.” he told her.

“Darn it, Fred! Refinement clearly is a family gift.” she inveighed, gasping to catch her breath. He laughed.

“How rude of you! I come here to save you from loneliness and that’s how you thank me?” he saw her blushing furiously, and he couldn’t help but keep smiling.

“For your information, Fred, I was perfectly fine on my own. In case you didn’t notice, I’ve got a book with me, and I was trying to get some work done.” she declared, trying to sound as dignified as possible.

“Right, and that’s exactly why I’m here. To help you study.” Hermione couldn’t help but laugh.

“ _You_ helping _me_ study, Fred? And, please tell me, how much do you know about Ancient Runes?” she asked, sarcastic.

“Something very close to none.” he admitted, and she laughed again.

Hermione gazed into the boy’s brown eyes, trying to understand what he could’ve possibly wanted from her. She deemed next to impossible that the only reason he was sitting with her was her company. During the past six years their conversation had always being about the twins teasing her and Hermione scolding them since she had become a Prefect.

“Fred, cut it: what do you want from me?” she asked, direct. The boy lost a bit of his cockiness. He cleared his throat, and took a piece of parchment out of his pocket.

“Well, the other day at Potions, after I’ve failed miserably to brew the Polyjuice Potion, Slughorn had the brilliant idea of asking me about the sixth year’s potions. And he must’ve established I’m not all that brilliant in his subject, since he dumped two rolls of parchment about the Draught of Living Death on me.” he explained. Hermione blushed.

For just a moment, she had deluded herself thinking that Fred was there because he actually wanted to spend his time with her. She had never felt so lonely as of lately, and the more time passed the more she realized the only thing she had to offer was help with homework.

Nothing else.

“Okay, Fred. I’ll give you a hand.” she murmured, trying to hide her disappointment the best she could. Fred noticed the tone of her voice, but he kept quiet. He smiled to her, glad.

“Perfect! Then, how about we get out of here? I know a quiet place where we could study.”

She shook her head, as to say that she couldn’t care less about where they went or what they did.

Reality was that, even though Fred had had his agenda to get close to her, a change of air would’ve nonetheless done her some good. So she decided to overlook the ‘Potion paper’ thing, and followed him out of the pub.

They walked in silence for a while. The girl looked around, trying to find something in the landscape that would’ve shut up her thoughts.

It was October, there wasn’t any snow, but the day was still pretty cold. She shivered in her coat, catching Fred’s attention.

“You can’t really be cold! It’s sunny.” he told her, smiling. She didn’t change her expression.

“Sunny or not, I’m feeling cold.” she replied, without adding another word. The boy sighed.

“Hermione, if you don’t feel like helping you just need to say it. I think I will survive.” he smiled to her, trying to convey that he wouldn’t have gotten mad.

“It doesn’t matter, Fred. Like you said, it’s not like I had anything better to do. I was alone.” her bitter voice made Fred uncomfortable.

“I... well, I didn’t want it to look as if I came to you just because I needed help. I would’ve done it anyway.” he explained. She didn’t seem at all convinced, but a tad more cheerful. Then she stopped, looking around.

“Fred, where the heck are we going?” she asked. They were far from the town, and Hermione was sure that they were getting closer to the Forbidden Forest.

“I know I’m not a particularly level-headed kind of guy but... please, for once, don’t ask any question and trust me.” he said, holding out his hand. Blushing violently, Hermione took it and kept following him.

As expected, they were soon in the middle of the trees. She forced herself not to ask him any question, but she couldn’t help but wonder how far they would’ve gone in.

At some point, she was hit by the light. Without noticing, they had reached a stop where the trees where scarce, they wore the thousand colours of autumn and were disposed around a small creek. Hermione was speechless. She had never seen that place, she even ignored there was a creek inside the Forbidden Forest. She turned around, letting her eyes wander among the carpet of brown and red leaves, the sharp grey of the wet rocks. Then she went closer to the water that, as little deep as it was, had in it the reflections of the sky, painting it a nice shade of blue. She turned toward Fred, still amazed.

“How do you know this place?” she whispered, as if she couldn’t find the voice to speak.

“Don’t forget that George and I tend to have in scarce consideration the boundaries imposed by Hogwarts’ rules. I won’t go as far as saying I know the forest as well as Hagrid, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.” he explained, proud. He joined her on the creek’s bank, and sat next to her.

“I have to give it to you, Fred Weasley, this place is definitely better than the Three Broomsticks.” Hermione declared with a smile. Her foul mood had disappeared the very moment she had set eyes on that place, emblem of the triumph of nature over mankind. It was untouched, a small heaven of earth where she had gained access for that day.  All of a sudden, she didn’t care anymore why Fred was there with her, she was just content to be there, relishing the rays of the sun and the thousand noises of the living things. She turned toward the boy, her expression kind.

“So, how much do you precisely know about this Draught of Living Death?” she asked him, gaining back consciousness that this was the reason they were there. He smiled.

“More or less what I know about Ancient Runes.” he said. Hermione repressed a groan, but she put herself to it and told him diligently everything he needed to know about the potion, while he took notes.

After almost an hour, Fred was done with his paper. Hermione was exhausted, it hadn’t been easy explaining to him how to brew the potion. His curiosity made him pretty smart, and a lousy potion maker. They had argued over fifteen minutes as to why one had necessarily to stir the potion counter clockwise, and in the end Hermione had to tell him that there was no particular reason, but that was how one was supposed to do it.

She was coming down with a hell of an headache.

The sun was almost down, and it gave the landscape around them an even more magical look. The colours became sharper, more intense. Hermione stared blankly at the creek’s water, that the wind was moving faster, making them wilder and bluer.

Fred was looking at her, a smile on his face. He liked that side of Hermione. When he had first met her he had convinced himself she was nothing more than the usual overachiever, capable of studying much and thinking little. During the past years, he was forced to change his mind: the girl was much more reflective than she cared to show.

He couldn’t resist the instinct to brush her face with a finger; Hermione turned to face him, blushing. Fred smiled to her.

“Thank you.” he said, unable to describe differently the sensations that were agitating him.

“Not a problem. All in all, it has been nice.” she looked around once more. “Actually, thanks to you for bringing me here. This place is... unreal.” she said, dreamy. He got closer.

“Hermione...” he murmured. She held her breath. He was definitely too close, and yet she couldn’t say in all sincerity she disliked that proximity. She could feel his breath on her face, and could see all the details in his eyes, light, disarming. She didn’t say a word. She just filled the space still left between them, planting a delicate kiss on his lips.

For a few seconds, neither of them moved. When they seemed to have grown accustomed to that sensation, all new, they started searching each other with their hands, kissing deeper and deeper, like they were trying to taste, to uncover the other one without any need for words.

It took them a few more minutes to back off. They were both short of breath and with their eyes low, as if afraid that looking at each other everything around them was bound to disappear, with the same magic that had nurtured them in that place up until now.

“It all seems so little real.” Hermione whispered, more to the surrounding nature than to Fred. By the corner of her eyes, she saw him smiling.

“And yet it is.” he told her, and then laughed. Just then, Hermione found it in her to look at him. It wasn’t Fred’s usual laughter, the mocking or the funny one. It was a blissful laugh. She blushed, believing herself part of that bliss.

“It’s getting dark. I think it’s better to go, before they think we got lost.” she said, getting back to her senses. Her face was sad. Fred stopped laughing, and brought a hand under her chin.

“Why the face?” he asked, curious. She shrugged.

“This will all disappear the moment we leave. And what happened here, here is gonna stay.” she whispered. Fred kissed her forehead, delicate.

“This is just a place, Hermione. Places are keepers of secrets, it’s true, but they don’t steal them to whom they belong to. This is not a goal, it’s the start line. Remember, beginning is where you get to.” he explained, making her smile openly.

They both got up, and took each other’s hand.

“Then you promise me that even when we’ll be among Hogwarts’ walls, all this is going to live on?” she asked, embracing the landscape with a show of her arms.

“I believe so. But if it makes you feel better, know that this place it’s going to be here forever. If we were to forget something, we can always come back.” he winked. Hermione looked at him, sarcastic.

“Fine. I’m sure we won’t run out of chances. It’ll be for the next paper. After all, you’re never going to be a decent potion maker.” she mocked him, gaining an affectionate bump on her arm.

They went back to the forest, still hand in hand. It was dark, and they had to be careful moving among the trees.

They were probably late for curfew, but for once Hermione couldn’t care less.

Yes, it was a start. The beginning of something. And it was definitely a good time to start breaking rules.

She kept walking alongside Fred; something new, fresh had now blossomed from her loneliness. Sudden, almost brutal, yet deep. Hermione could feel nature’s colours on herself, she felt part of the forest she was going through, knowing that she wasn’t saying goodbye to that unique autumn afternoon, where everything had changed.

She couldn’t wait for Slughorn to dump another paper on Fred.


End file.
